The letter was received by Weiner’s Kew Gardens, Queens, office on March 25. Its arrival spurred a two-day decontamination for staffers until the powder was proved to be a simple antacid. Weiner described it as a harrowing experience for his local office workers. “The people who work for me are not political operachiks, they’re basically government workers who don’t get paid a great deal and don’t spend their time debating health care,” he told Courier-Life. “In my opinion, sending terrorizing letters to my community offices is not anything resembling free speech.”